Home Invasion!

[Peter Easterling]

I posted this question in the Farm & Gardening forum but it didn't seem to fit farm or garden. My house plants have been invaded. LFA. I soaked a smallish plant for 2 days in a bucket of water. Took twice but did the job. However, with larger pots it becomes impractical. Some of the plants are consumables, so no poisons. Anyone been able to bring infested plants back into the house?

[terracore]

Here is the Hawaii Ant Lab article "TREATMENT OF POTTED PLANTS INFESTED WITH LITTLE FIRE ANTS" http://www.littlefireants.com/LFA%20Fact...%201.2.pdf

[terracore]

While I've never treated for potted plants, you may want to consider using the poison bait Siesta. I know you said "Some of the plants are consumables, so no poisons" however you could put a quarter tsp of Siesta (which is 99.9% inert ingredients) next to the potted plant you wanted to treat and let the ants suck the poison out of the granules and do the killing for you. The amount of poison the ants track into your potted plant has got to be miniscule like measured in the parts per trillions. You were probably subjected to more toxins during your first diaper change than could ever be administered in this manner.

[ericlp]

You could bait the ants Go to longs and they have the small plastic ant bait (liquid) pull the plug set a few ... 1 at the first plant and one at the last plant ... or if the plants are off the ground, your could try tango. Apply some to the bottom of the plant stand.

It is a never ending battle, as you'll have to find where the ants are getting into your house. You definitely don't want them nesting in the potted plant soil or in the walls of your home. Might be best to move the plants outside on a deck and treat the house first make sure you get rid of them around and inside the house, then at the same time bait the plants on the deck. After about 3-6 months when you are certain no ant activity, you can bring them in. LFA is extremely hard to get rid of.

Been battling them in car and still can't seem to eradicate them. Just when you think they are gone, put a cup of coffee in the car, and they are back. Dunno... Maybe tent the car?

Wish I had an good answer, the only thing that works is just keep pushing them back from places you don't want them. Just gotta learn to live with them. Shaking out clothes before putting them on, brushing the bed sheets down every night before hoping in. It only takes one LFA to make your night miserable.

[terracore]

Are you sure they are LFA? They aren't attracted to those types of baits.

[Peter Easterling]

I was hoping for a simple, quick, non-toxic, cheap and permanent solution. ericip sums up our situation well. They are in the walls already so we have adopted a defensive mode. Shaking clothes and bed brushing have become the norm. We'll never get rid of them only hope to contain them reasonably. Thanks for the advice and the link to the LFA Lab info.

[ericlp]

Our house is single wall, we cover the base plate between the studs with Boric acid, that slows em down. I dunno, LFA will eat the sugary liquid bait, but will die before they make it back to the nest. The move to slowly to carry it back in time. We end up with a large trail for little red dots of dead LFA. But I just recently applied ant block around all the P/P and around the entire house. They probably won't be coming in from outside anymore. Living on post and pier blocks is a huge advantage.

[terracore]

"Shaking clothes and bed brushing have become the norm."

Good God, there is no reason to live like that. A tablespoon of Siesta placed every 20 feet or so around the outside of your house will get rid of them for about 6 weeks. I put it under a piece of wood or something and then put a rock on top to keep the chickens out of it. When the LFA come back just put a small amount out again and you'll be ant free again in about a day.

Siesta is a corn grit that contains a sodium blocker that shuts down the ant's nervous system. They suck the oils out of the grits and go back to the colony where they feed it to the queens and the other ants. They all die in a day or so. Because LFA live in interconnected colonies, new ants will eventually move in and you'll have to repeat the process. Siesta is only effective for a few days so when the colony gets reestablished the old grits will no longer attract the ants.

ETA: Using non-colony destroying methods (sprays or poisons that only kill individuals) is counter productive. LFA colonies can have tens of thousands of queens. When more workers leave the colony than return, they compensate by producing more ants. You might be causing the colonies to expand.

[bananahead]

like I posted in Farm/Garden
Sevin (carbaryl) is used on veggies by many, and its cheap and fairly safe for vertebrates.... I dilute it far lower than recommended dose... especially for Electric Ants as they will die easily with any amount of Sevin.... ... Ive never seen a dead skink or gecko yet when I spray it around the yard where they live too...but I always dilute it alot too.
Sevin is not permanent though... the Electric Ants will eventually return often, so treat the outside of home at base. they can easily go through screens or under doors so you need to stay on it. you will see a difference.

Carbaryl
"...The development of the carbamate insecticides has been called a major breakthrough in pesticides. The carbamates do not have the persistence of chlorinated pesticides. Although toxic to insects, carbaryl is detoxified and eliminated rapidly in vertebrates. It is neither concentrated in fat nor secreted in milk, so is favored for food crops, at least in the US.[3] It is the active ingredient in Carylderm shampoo used to combat head lice until infestation is eliminated...."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbaryl



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save our indigenous and endemic Hawaiian Plants... learn about them, grow them, and plant them on your property, ....instead of all that invasive non-native garbage I see in most yards... aloha

[Lee M-S]

I've been told by gardeners I trust that soaking potted plants in soapy water will kill all kinds of bugs including LFAs.

Use dish soap WITHOUT the word "ultra" in the title--that stuff will strip off the waxy coating on the leaves.

For large plants, I use a garbage can; for smaller plants, a plastic tub.

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